Social Sustainability and Resilience of the Rural Communities: the case of Soy producers in Argentina and the expansion of the production from Latin America to Africa

Severi, Claudia (2016) Social Sustainability and Resilience of the Rural Communities: the case of Soy producers in Argentina and the expansion of the production from Latin America to Africa, [Dissertation thesis], Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna. Dottorato di ricerca in Scienze e tecnologie agrarie, ambientali e alimentari, 28 Ciclo. DOI 10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/7482.
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Abstract

Soy is one of the most important and fast growing food commodities in the global market. Thanks to the introduction of GM soy varieties, Argentina has become the third producer in the world, what entailed significant impacts at environmental, social and economic level. Objective of the study is to assess the social resilience of the rural communities cultivating soy in Argentina and to evaluate the current sustainability of the soy system. At the same time, the analysis of the expansion of the soy production from Latin America to African countries represents an element of continuity in the evaluation of the phenomenon at global level. The case study of the soy system in Argentina, with its specific focus on rural communities, highlights how strongly social and ecological resilience are intertwined in the identification of mechanisms to guarantee social sustainability, which, in turn, is strictly interrelated with environmental and economic sustainability. The agricultural sector showed a good capacity of adaptation and reorganization demonstrating being economically performing, but social and environmental costs were heavy, consisting in a deep disruption of the original rural communities structure and of the original natural ecosystem. The soy system appears extremely rigid – because of the hyper specialization and the marked dependence on export – what makes it very vulnerable to changes in the international demand for soy. The current system is strongly criticized by the civil society, blaming it to be the cause of environmental problems and of health risks. To effectively contrast the negative consequences of the soy model, a significant role must be played by policy makers, who should define sustainability policies to enhance the resilience of the rural communities and to move towards more sustainable food production systems.

Abstract
Tipologia del documento
Tesi di dottorato
Autore
Severi, Claudia
Supervisore
Co-supervisore
Dottorato di ricerca
Scuola di dottorato
Scienze agrarie
Ciclo
28
Coordinatore
Settore disciplinare
Settore concorsuale
Parole chiave
Resilience, Rural Communities, Argentina, Soybean, Sustainability, Food Systems, Transition
URN:NBN
DOI
10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/7482
Data di discussione
14 Giugno 2016
URI

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